


One Hundred Ways To Propose

by ElyseEstheim, goodfairyofny, KawaiiBoushi, Not_An_Author, pyrrhickong, StormWildcat, WishStone



Series: KanNao Collaborations [3]
Category: Persona 4
Genre: F/M, Marriage Proposal, Married Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-14 03:24:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12998805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElyseEstheim/pseuds/ElyseEstheim, https://archiveofourown.org/users/goodfairyofny/pseuds/goodfairyofny, https://archiveofourown.org/users/KawaiiBoushi/pseuds/KawaiiBoushi, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_An_Author/pseuds/Not_An_Author, https://archiveofourown.org/users/pyrrhickong/pseuds/pyrrhickong, https://archiveofourown.org/users/StormWildcat/pseuds/StormWildcat, https://archiveofourown.org/users/WishStone/pseuds/WishStone
Summary: There are so many ways one could ask someone to get married. Romantic ways. Tragic ways.  Hilarious ways.When writers have too much time on their hands, they can come up with a lot of them...





	1. Chapter 1

While hanging out together, as our brave group of writers does at times, WishStone jokingly said: Next colab: 100 ways of proposing. When the others jumped on this at once, we knew we had to bring forth the next collaboration.

Apologies to every single one who has yet to finish the last one .... BUT anyone who'd like to join in, please let Wish know - y'all know how to get in touch!

Dear readers, enjoy while we're just goofing around, having fun with the one hundred ways of making these two dorks happy.  
As always, tags will be added as the stories evolve.


	2. One - Arrangements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tradition meets modern expectations.

“ _What_?! No! I refuse! This is preposterous,” Naoto spat, “I am leaving!”

“Naoto-chan, please…”

“NO!” She had already grabbed her hat from a near-by dresser, scoffing at the traditional, elaborate kimono as she stomped past it. She had never even _seen_ that thing before! She stopped in her tracks, twisting where she stood to glare at her Grandfather. “For you, of all people, to try and spring this on me!”

“I assure you, my child, this comes from a good place-“ He cut his own words off at the fury in her eyes. With a sigh, he pushed himself out of the comfortable chair on the other side of the divider in the improvised dressing room of the Shirogane estate. With a nod and a wave of his hand, he dismissed the startled-looking women he had hired to assist for today. “My ladies, if you would wait outside. Yakushiji, please make our guests comfortable. This will not take long.”

Naoto had not managed a second growth spurt in her late teens, and so, in her mid-twenties, still did not reach further than her grandfather’s shoulder.

That did not, however, take away from the sheer force of will emanating from her as she stood, stiff as a rod, her precious newsboy-hat crushed in her hand. “Won’t take long? What makes you think I would possibly agree to this? Is this your idea of saving face before some old friend of yours? Something worked out years ago you were too scared of telling me until now?” She made a dismissive gesture with her free hand, her long, dark cobalt hair swinging as she shook her head sharply. “Whichever it is, I refuse to play along in this _charade_!”

Leaning rather heavily on his cane, the elder Shirogane regarded his only heir thoughtfully. “I have not even told you everything about the plans today.”

Outrage slowly turned the hot iron of her anger into hardened steel. Eyes the shade of heavy rainclouds turned to her grandfather, and with her accustomed low, precise voice, she retorted, “I know enough about tradition to know the preparations for a formal _omiai_ meeting when I see one, _Grandfather_!”

The older man winced when she chose to not call him in her typical endearment. “I understand that this is sudden-“

But the young woman was not to be stopped, now that she had gotten on track. Turning to face him fully, her eyes blazing with the same cold steel of anger in set into her eyes, she continued over him.

“And who, may I ask, did you feel would be worth to try and break twenty years of familial trust with? Some mid-thirties son of a college of yours?“

“The gentleman is question is, in fact, younger than you, my dear, and if you’d-“

“Someone who, buried in work, would not pay any kind of attention to me? To my needs? I, too, work hard! I am frequently not even in Japan these days, hired to assist with cases all over Asia and even Europe and the Americas! Marrying me off, with no consideration of my own growth and career?”

“Naoto!”

She stopped, seething. Yunai Shirogane sighed softly and gestured to the couch. She shot the man who raised her a sharp look and marched over, sitting down heavily. She placed down her hat with very elaborate movements, before frowning at some lint on her finely tailored blue-and-grey suit jacket and proceeded to fuss over it. It allowed her to not look up and see the kimono hanging on its rack.

The old man took a proverbial breather by picking up a fine porcelain teacup and sipped, before turning to face the look on his granddaughters’ face. “You react a lot like your father did. While looking at me just like your mother, whenever she…” He trailed off when he saw her short supply of patience dwindling rapidly. “Very well.” He set down the cup and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I was approached only a single week ago. By the young man’s mother. A very kind, warm, traditional woman, I would like to add, and someone whom I personally would gladly be connected to on a familial level myself.” He saw her steel herself to interject, but he held up one hand, demanding to say his bit. She pressed her lips together and sat up straighter. “She said she and her son had both worked on the kimono for today, _and_ she said she was hoping to measure you for your wedding kimono herself.”

In her anger, Naoto’s sharp mind failed to connect the right dots as she growled, “The only way they could have gotten my measurements would be from Tatsumi textiles. I doubt that either of the Tatsumis would volunteer…” Her face fell and her eyes unfocussed. “Nor would they be paid off.” She leaned forward sharply. “Grandfather, the _only_ way to obtain that information would be to break into the Tatsumi residence! You are fixing me up to meet with a _criminal_!”

The face of the elder Shirogane fell slack in puzzlement. Then his mouth opened slightly in disbelief while he narrowed his eyes. “I beg your pardon?”

“I understand how you might be sceptical, as you generally are a very sound judge of character, Grampa, but hear me out.” The young woman scooted forward on her part of the couch, urgently regarding her grandfather. Her anger at the whole situation melted like snowfall in summer as she feared a much larger problem concerning the two Inaba residents who had treated her like family since her teens. “Both Kanji Tatsumi and his mother are very good, trustworthy people. Kanji has been designing my suits for years now, considering the adjustments I need and the functional pockets and liners in my clothing. In this suit, the one I am wearing right now, I could hide two sets of skeleton keys, my revolver and two short-bladed knives and you’d be unable to tell unless you actively patted me down to find them. They understand how crucial it is to keep these details guarded and no amount of bribery or questioning would get this information out of them. Much less would Miss Tatsumi allow anyone to learn the measurements of her customers. Rise Kujikawa is a patron of theirs, they have a name to protect!”

The man shook his grey hair slowly, the wisps of light blue still speaking of a much deeper colour when he was younger. “Naoto-chan, what you are saying-“ An eyebrow slowly rose, before Yunai turned his shocked-surprised expression to the low coffee table staring at it unseeing for a few moments, before he raised a hand and gently rested his face on his fingertips.

“I know, it may sound outrageous, but I _promise_ to you – this information was gained in illicit ways!”

Turning his head to rub his eyes with the same fingers that still propped him up, the senior detective said gently, “So you trust the Tatsumi’s without any hesitation in this matter?”

“Absolutely. There is no doubt in my mind that they would never betray my trust in them.”

He lifted his head to rest his chin on his hand now. “Then, do you think going into the arrangement meeting could provide you clues on how the proposing party managed to obtain this valuable, personal data?”

The younger Shirogane’s mouth dropped open and she folded her hands in thought. The elder simply watched her, waiting for her to run the proposed scenario in her head. He could nearly see her mind assembling the pieces. It could work. She could check just how well these clothes fit, and she could, during the meeting, gather data which would let her track down more details. She could use this against them…

By the time her lips rested against the knuckles of her folded hands and she began to nod to herself, Yakushiji had brought back the women who would assist her in getting dressed.

If her mind was not on planning her strategy for the upcoming meeting as she was being dressed, as her hair was teased into something approaching a mutely festive way with decorative combs and clips; if not for her worry that the safety of her old friend being in danger; Naoto could have picked up on the quality and craftsmanship of the clothing, which had apparently been created exclusively for this very meeting. By the time make-up had been applied, she was stewing in anger again.

Her grandfather observed her in awe as she left the room, balancing her weight in an unaccustomed fashion in the constricting clothing. He held his arm out to her and whispered a quiet compliment at her, which she ignored. Her mind was on a goal, a target, and nothing would distract from it.

She stuck to her role as a prize to be negotiated over as she stepped into the room which had been remodeled to simulate a quiet, traditional living room. The same women who had dressed her fanned out to prepare her as she was seated, her eyes demurely downcast. Slowly, her grandfather settled in beside her before a low table and made himself comfortable.

Until another door opposite of her opened and a delighted gasp; followed by a soft, warm whimper made her look up.

And regard the emotional faces of Kanji Tatsumi and his mother. She had pressed the fingertips of both her hands to her lips, trying to hold back whichever emotions were showing affectionately in her eyes already. And Kanji…

Now that she thought about it seriously for the first time in the seven years she had known him… he had looked at her like this before, often. But she had never connected the expression on his face with the setting she found herself in right now. Had never… never even considered…

Naoto’s mind ran blank.

Next to her, her grandfather leaned in slightly and murmured gently, “I think you were right. We should talk to these two at length about what their intentions for you are.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shots fired, fellow writers~  
> 99 to go?


	3. Two: Mementos

Kanji wasn’t even sure anymore why he had possibly thought this would be a good idea that ends well. No idea. Not with all the shit he had been through thanks to this place, really. No matter how much he should be thankful it had been around to bring him Naoto.

See, in _his_ mind, asking Naoto to meet him in the Midnight Channel made sense. Teddy had helped his friends to stay connected by sniffing out different TVs and connecting them all to the central hub – which these days looked like a park theatre with dozens of stacked-up TVs. The TV world _had_ been quiet since they released Izanami from her grief and set Mariko-chan free to roam the world of the living. Heck, connecting the TVs had been her idea, even though she said she was still uneasy to ever return to it – understandable, Kanji thought, considering she had designated a part of the TV world her grave.

But when he had finally talked Naoto into their date in the TV world, what he had NOT expected was finding her trapped in a never-ending nightmare of tunnel upon tunnel of what looked like a really creepy subway underground. Teddy had said he had never seen anythin’ like it; Rise was just as baffled. Both had suggested they felt other persona users, but Kanji had no time for their dumb daydreams. Yu-senpai had suggested to launch a search after they called him that first night and while it seemed like no big deal at first, they quickly found that the shadows here were oddly different.

For one, they seemed _intelligent._ They straight-up talked shit at them sometimes. Rokuten Mao appreciated it, to be fair, said it was kinda honest. Other times they seeming annoyed, scared or just mopey. Another thing that was weird was, that they looked a hella lot like Yu-senpai’s many Personae. When Kanji looked at some of them, he coulda sworn he knew them.

An’ sometimes they talked to senpai as if they, too, remembered him, offering him to fight for him again – which he, armed with the god Izanagi-no-okami, always refused - much to their disappointment it seemed.

But if Kanji thought on any of that, it was only just briefly, between checking his wrist watch and asking his big buddy to check if he could find Yamato Takeru.

This place felt weird, too. Something about it make him recall a lot of stuff. Places he had visited, people he had met. He felt as if he sometimes could hear people’s thinking or see things that seemed like a memory, even if it was of a place he knew he had never been.

Teddy said it was like this because they had never been at this place before, and even said it may be something else than the TV World. Which was, really, dumb. There was no way this wasn’t the TV world, seeing that this was how Naoto wound up here and how Teddy and Rise got them there. They possibly just hadn’t seen it like this before, because the TV in Tokyo had another schedule or something. Whatever, really, who gives a damn?!

 

When they found Naoto, she was huddled in a stairway between two floors, scribbling into her ever-present notebook; muttering to herself as she wrote, checking her damn _phone_ as if it was totally new to her.

Kanji swooped in and hugged her tightly, much to her disapproval, as she complained she nearly dropped her pen.

Screw the pen, really. He had wanted just a nice, romantic evening in the TV world, the place he had first learned her secret; the place they had grown to be a team, grown to be partners, grown to be the Beauty and the Beast. He had not asked for all of this… whatever this nightmare stuff was.

After some struggling, she returned his hug and even kissed his cheek after Rise suggested Kanji deserved a reward for tracking her down with the help of their linked watches.

And Kanji didn’t give a fuck that the walls and floor looked slimy and dripping with blood, he didn’t care that Naoto kept trying to talk to Yu-senpai about her discoveries, hell, he couldn’t care at all about Rise and Teddy screamin’ when he dropped to his knees before the blue-haired young woman.

All he cared about was that he hadn’t lost the ring he wore on his bullet necklace and that Naoto teared up an’ stated to nod when she realized he had finally decided to ask her to marry him.

Well. That and get the heck outa here. This place gave him the creeps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really should be writing on Distance Formula, you guys; someone stop my plot bunnies.


	4. Three: Tentarafoo

Generally speaking, confusion being inflicted on a party member was a minor inconvenience at worst. Before someone could cast Patra or use a sedative, a few thousand yen might end up thrown away, but Yu made a killing off the odd trinkets he collected from shadows anyway, so he didn’t really mind. But sometimes, when the confusion hadn’t faded by a battle’s end, it could cause some…strange behavior.

One venture in particular, as a battle in Naoto’s laboratory was drawing to a close, one last surviving Fail Gene managed to confuse Kanji as he was rushing to Naoto’s side after an attack that had knocked her down on all fours.

“I’m – f-fine,” she coughed, staggering to her feet to unload a round of bullets into the shadow. On its last legs already, it began to dissolve with a high-pitched screech. Slumping forward to catch her breath, Naoto groaned, clutching her gut where she had been hit.

“I’ll be right over, Naoto-kun,” Yukiko called, currently occupied patching up a gash in Yu’s arm.

Before she could acknowledge this, however, Naoto suddenly found herself engulfed by Kanji’s arms.

“Are you okay?” he demanded.

Wiggling her shoulders until she could free her face from being pressed against Kanji’s chest, Naoto managed, “Yes, just – winded – _this isn’t helping_.”

At that, he immediately let go of her, moving his hands to grip her shoulders instead. “Sorry.” He held her gaze earnestly in silence for a moment longer than Naoto felt was necessary.

“Um –?”

“Shit, I’m glad you’re okay,” Kanji said before Naoto could finish questioning him. “I was scared I was gonna lose you.”

Naoto furrowed her brow, cheeks going pink. “Lose – ? Ah, well, while I…appreciate the concern, it really wasn’t –”

“Made me realize, though,” Kanji continued as if she hadn’t spoken, “I can’t just take you for granted. I gotta…y’know, carp the diem. So…” He took one of her hands in both of his and knelt down on one knee.

“Will you marry me?”

A strangled noise escaped Naoto’s throat and she felt her face first drain of all color, then immediately flush until she felt as if it were on fire. It was a rather dizzying effect. To make matters worse, Yukiko had finished healing Yu and both were now watching this play out with great amusement. Yukiko doubled over in hysterical laughter, while Yu was barely suppressing a smirk (which was, somehow, more embarrassing than being laughed at).

“I – what –” she finally got out, head still spinning. “Kan – Kanji-kun, you _can’t_ be –”

Kanji stood up, the motion causing Naoto to stumble a little closer. “I’m dead serious. I realized I can’t let what’s important to me slip away. And I know we’re still in high school, so it won’t be ‘til after we graduate, but I don’t mind a long engagement. So, whattaya say?”

Naoto only let out a series of unintelligible stammers, looking desperately to her senpai for help.

“Kanji-kun,” Yukiko said gently, stifling a giggle as she placed a hand on his arm.

Turning halfway with a sigh, Kanji started, “Senpai, I’m a little –” As he spoke, Amaterasu appeared behind Yukiko and bathed him in a warm light. He squinted against it for a moment, then blinked rapidly. Dropping Naoto’s hand, he ran one of his own through his hair. “Uh…what’s goin’ on?”

“You got hit with a confusion spell,” Yu explained. “Everything’s fine now, Naoto finished off the shadow. We should probably wrap things up here for the night, though.” He flashed an infuriatingly knowing look at Naoto.

“Oh. Cool. Okay.” Kanji frowned. “I didn’t miss anything else? Kinda feels like I did.”

“Noth–” Yukiko snorted. “Nothing!”

Raising an eyebrow, Kanji looked over at Naoto. “What’s with her?”

With a loud clearing of her throat, Naoto forced herself to look Kanji in the eye. “I haven’t a clue,” she replied, voice even through no small amount of effort.

“Hm.” Kanji just shrugged, seemingly uninterested in pursuing the matter, before following Yu to the corner of the room where the elder boy was preparing a Goho-M.

“Yukiko-senpai,” Naoto hissed, grabbing the other girl’s shoulder. “if you knew he was merely inflicted with an ailment, why did you let him continue?”

“You looked like you had it under control,” Yukiko said, eyes brimming with mirth.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Naoto rolled her eyes and went to join the other members of the party to leave the laboratory. She should just be relieved, she supposed, that Kanji didn’t seem to remember his proposal. He had enough trouble holding normal conversation with her as it was, and she didn’t want him to feel any more awkward around her then he already did.

It wasn’t until she was halfway home that Naoto realized that it hadn’t even occurred to her to actually turn Kanji down. She walked a little faster, burying her face in her hands and trying not to think about what that implied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm working on like half a dozen other proposal ideas rn that may or may not make the cut (Me, loving proposals and marriage and happy domestic fluff where no one dies? It's more likely than you think!) but this silly little one came to me at work and I couldn't resist.


	5. Above a Flower Shop

Kanji Tatsumi knocked on the door of Naoto Shirogane’s one room apartment in Tokyo. She had claimed that she didn’t need more space, because it was only for a job, and that she wouldn’t be here for long. Kanji shook his head at the thought. That had been four years ago. The Tokyo Police had much need for her expertise, and so they kept providing work, and she kept living in the tiny room above a flower shop. 

When she opened the door he took in everything about her. The way her clothing fit against her slim curves, her long hair that fell in soft waves, and especially her perfect smile as she looked back at him. “H-Hey,” he said softly. Naoto reached out, pulling him into a gentle hug. Kanji focused all of his energy on not letting himself shake. He was nervous, but she didn’t need to know that, right? “Come inside,” she said, taking his hand and pulling him in. He handed her the bouquet he had picked out before coming upstairs. She raised an eyebrow at him. “I mean, it’s not like I went out of my way or anything,” he said with a shrug as the smile returned to her face. 

The awkwardness of her one room apartment was that it was impossible to visit without entering her bedroom. This was made apparent when she immediately sat him down at the end of her bed, sitting beside him. It was close, maybe closer than they’d ever been to one another in the years they had been friends. Close in proximity, that is. They had certainly become closer than ever emotionally in the four years she had been gone, texting each other regularly. A few months into the first job, she began calling him every night before she went to sleep. It had become a ritual for them. And now he was sitting on the very bed she spoke to him from every evening. 

Naoto took his hand, and said nothing, waiting out his insecurities. She had already made it clear how she felt about him, and how much she wanted him to visit. She had insisted that he stay with her for the weekend, instead of sleeping at a hotel. Kanji took a deep breath beside her, finally turning to face her. She returned his gaze, and he finally took the leap, kissing her softly. She returned his kiss enthusiastically. When they finally broke apart, they were both breathless and couldn’t help but laugh together. “We should have done this a long time ago,” Naoto said, feeling joyful for one of the first real times in her life. 

“I… I have something for you,” Kanji said slowly. He was afraid of everything he was about to do. That he would say it wrong, what her reaction would be, what the future would hold. But he had just kissed her and nothing bad had happened. Maybe it was really all just built up in his head. Leftovers from the anxiety of his younger years. She was looking at him questioningly, patiently waiting to see what he had brought her from home.

She thought it would be something thoughtful he had made, or perhaps a trinket from Inaba. She never expected him to pull a tiny box from his pocket, opening it to reveal the most beautiful diamond ring she had ever seen. He slid to the floor on one knee. “Naoto…” he began.

“Yes,” she said, feeling her eyes tear up as her heart pounded loudly in her chest. He slipped the ring on her finger, and she threw her arms around his neck, kissing him deeply. When they broke apart this time, he returned to the bed beside her. “When can you move in?” she asked calmly. He couldn’t help but smile at her. “As soon as you like.”


	6. Oops?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Detectives think they know everything.

It didn’t take a detective to see that Kanji was about to propose, though being one certainly helped.

Knowing in advance was mildly disappointing, but it wasn’t as if Naoto had gone out of her way to uncover anything she thought he had been hiding – she had learned to be careful about that sort of thing after spoiling numerous birthday surprises from both him and her other friends. No, she had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time after running home on her lunch break one day for her forgotten bento box.

As she entered the kitchen on the afternoon in question, Naoto saw Kanji in the living room, pacing. He didn’t notice her at first, continuing to march back and forth, absently patting his pockets and muttering to himself. It wasn’t until the refrigerator door fell closed that his attention was drawn her direction.

“Oh, hey,” he greeted her. “What’re you doin’ home so early?”

Naoto held up the bento she had just retrieved. “I’m not exactly home. I forgot my lunch, I’m heading right back to the station.”

“I woulda ran it over if you asked,” Kanji said, crossing over to kiss her forehead.

Standing on tiptoe to return the gesture, Naoto shrugged one shoulder. “I know. I’m sure you have better things to do. Besides, I don’t mind the walk when it’s so nice out.”

“Fair,” Kanji conceded. “Hey, speakin’ of which, you gonna be home for dinner? I was thinkin’ we could go to the hill for a little picnic. Watch the sunset.”

With a smile, Naoto nodded her approval. “That sounds lovely. I shouldn’t be out terribly late. I’ll text you when I’m leaving.”

“Awesome! Have a great day.”

Naoto blew a kiss over her shoulder and gave a little wave as she descended the stairs. “You too.”

…

When Naoto made it back to the station and retreated to the break room, she was flagged to a table in the corner by Chie.

“Yo, Naoto-kun! How’s it going?”

“Afternoon, Chie-san.” Naoto sat down across from her and untied the fastening on her bento. “I’m doing fine, and you?”

After a particularly large bite of her to-go beef bowl, Chie replied, “Can’t complain, I guess. Things have been pretty quiet since we caught those kids that were vandalizing the gas station.

Starting on her own lunch, Naoto nodded. “That’s good to hear. Quiet is better than the alternative.”

“You’re not wrong,” Chie agreed with a sigh. “I just get so restless when there’s nothing going on. I feel like I’m gonna get rusty, y’know?”

Naoto chuckled around a bite of egg. “Well, now that you don’t need to devote your time to studying for any exams, I’d be happy to pick our sparring sessions back up. I could benefit from the exercise as well.”

Chie’s eyes lit up. “Ooh, yeah! That’d be awesome. No one here ever wants to spar with me.” She pounded the table with her fist. “I’m wasting away, Naoto-kun!”

“Clearly,” Naoto snorted, eyeing the other woman’s lunch.

“Well, metaphorically, anyway,” she amended, shrugging. “Oh, hey, I ran into Kanji-kun in Okina the other day.”

“Mm, he did go out to do some shopping over the weekend.”

“Yeah, I was checking out that new arcade that just opened up – totally awesome, by the way, I’ll take you sometime – and I saw him at some jewelry store across the street.” Chie frowned. “He got all weird when I said hi, though.”

Naoto raised an eyebrow, chopsticks halfway to her mouth. “Weird?” she prompted.

“Yeah, like…” Chie waved her hand aimlessly, searching for words. “Kinda like when I catch kids skipping school. Like he got caught red-handed or something.”

Eyes narrowing, Naoto brought a thoughtful hand to her chin. “He was acting a bit odd this morning when I went home to get my lunch. He was pacing in the living room, talking to himself, and he kept touching his pockets as if he was making sure something was there. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but…” Her other hand absently tapped her chopsticks against the side of her bento. “He could have been practicing something. And to have such a reaction at being caught at a…jewelry store…” The last words came out barely above a whisper, a theory solidifying in her mind.

“Oh my gosh!” Chie’s eyes grew wide as she caught on. Punctuating the exclamation with a slap against the tabletop, she repeated, “ _Oh my gosh!_ You don’t think he’s –?”

Naoto nodded slowly, biting her lip. “He wants to go to the hill overlooking town tonight for a picnic…”

Hands clasped together. Chie bounced excitedly in her seat. “Oh, this is so exciting! Congratulations, Naoto-kun!”

“I –” Face going pink, Naoto looked away. “N-nothing’s happened yet.”

“Yeah, but Kanji-kun’s about to _propose_! About time, honestly,” she added. “We half-expected him to do it as soon as you graduated.”

A soft noise of embarrassment escaped Naoto’s lips, though she couldn’t say it would have surprised her if he had. “W-well. Regardless. He’s doing it now. Oh, goodness. He’s going to propose.” Now that the wheels in her head had finished turning, it suddenly occurred to her to be flustered by the realization she had come to, and she could feel herself going beet red. She locked eyes with the older woman across from her and pleaded, “Don’t tell him I know. He’s probably been planning this for months and I don’t want him to feel as if it’s been ruined. Don’t tell _anyone_ – especially not Rise-san. I know _she_ won’t be able to keep it a secret.”

“My lips are sealed.” As if to prove this, Chie scarfed down the rest of her bowl, flashing her a thumbs up. “Alright, that’s my lunch over.” Grinning widely, she winked and gave Naoto’s arm a squeeze on her way out of the break room. “Have a great night, Naoto-kun!”

“I…y-yes,” Naoto acknowledged her, burying her face in her hands in a futile attempt to hide both her blush and her smile.

…

And so, after an unproductive day spent too distracted to make any real progress on the on the paperwork she was trying to wrap up, Naoto finally found herself on the hill at Inaba’s outskirts, trying to focus on simply enjoying the kabobs and salad Kanji had prepared. As he told her about the latest custom kimono order he had taken on, gesturing with the skewer in his hand as if drawing the pattern in the air, she chastised herself for not being able to completely relax. Not for the first time since that morning, she wished she hadn’t pieced things together. At the very least, now, she just hoped that she could feign surprise well enough that Kanji wouldn’t be disappointed in her for ruining the moment.

To Naoto’s credit, she did feel like she made it through dinner without giving away her suspicions. Watching Kanji pack up their dishes, she eyed him carefully, wondering where he was storing the ring. The picnic basket, perhaps? His pockets didn’t seem to be concealing anything the size of a ring box – though, she reminded herself with a touch of irony, part of the reason she preferred men’s pants was their pockets that actually _worked_.

Once he had secured the last of the silverware, Kanji laid down on the thick quilt they had used as a picnic blanket, stretching out and motioning for Naoto to join him. Tucking herself against his side and using his outstretched arm as a pillow, she wondered if he could feel her heart pounding in anticipation.

“Beautiful night,” Kanji commented. “It’s fun goin’ to big cities with you, but you gotta admit, you can’t get this kinda view anywhere but the sticks.”

Naoto laughed softly. “I suppose that’s true. You don’t see many stars in Tokyo. Inaba has allowed me to come to appreciate the beauty of the night sky. You know, I think Grandpa has a telescope in the attic, perhaps he wouldn’t mind if we brought it out here sometime.”

“Hey, yeah, that’s a good idea.” Flashing one of his trademark sunshine smiles, Kanji pressed his forehead to hers. “’Course, beautiful as it all is, still nothin’ compared to you.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Naoto murmured, warmth spreading on her cheeks.

“Believe me, I’m an expert Naoto-gazer. I know what I’m talkin’ about.” He pressed a quick kiss to her nose and a lingering one to her lips before taking her free hand with his and laying back so he was facing the sky once more.

They passed another hour or so watching the stars come out, the silence occasionally punctured by Naoto pointing out a constellation, or Kanji making up one of his own to make her laugh. Finally, Kanji carefully maneuvered himself out from under Naoto and sat up. Trailing his fingers along her arm, he watched her for a long moment with a look of pure adoration on his face.

 _This is it,_ Naoto thought, sitting up as well and trying not to look expectant. _He’s going to –_

“We should probably head home,” Kanji said, punctuating his sentence with a small shiver. “It’s gettin’ a little chilly to be sittin’ around out here too much longer. Wouldn’t mind pickin’ this back up somewhere a little more cozy, though, yeah?”

Naoto opened her mouth to respond, then processed what he had said and blinked. “Oh. Um – alright.”

“Sup?” Kanji tilted his head to the side. “We can stick around if you want. I just thought since you usually get cold faster than me, you’d be ready to wrap up by now.”

“Now that you mention it, the temperature has dropped quite a bit since this afternoon. I…suppose I hadn’t noticed.” She had, after all, had other things on her mind. “Let’s start heading back, then.”

Naoto conceded that it would be odd, now, to propose in the dark when they could barely see each other, but what had been the point of coming out here if he was just going to propose back at the apartment? Unless he was going to do it somewhere on the walk back…at the riverbank? Or maybe in front of the textile shop, where they had first met? Allowing Kanji to help her to her feet, she picked up the blanket and folded it back up as he double-checked everything he brought had made it back into the picnic basket. Once they had tidied sufficiently, they locked hands and began to make their way back downhill. As she mused on the possibilities, Naoto realized they were passing every spot that seemed like it might make sense until they finally arrived home, no more engaged than they had been that morning.

Her thoughtful silence, as it turned out, had not gone unnoticed by Kanji. “Hey,” he started as they ascended the stairs, “you sure everything’s okay? You seem…I dunno, antsy.”

Naoto nodded, forcing a smile. “Of course. I’m sorry if I gave the impression that I didn’t enjoy the evening.”

“Nah, that’s not it exactly. Just kinda feels like you…expected something more.” Shrugging, he locked the front door behind them.

Ah. So that was it. He knew she knew. Crossing her arms and dropping the smile, Naoto said, “You’re just teasing me now.”

Kanji furrowed his brow, taken aback by this accusation. “I – what? No. What would I be…?”

“Chie-san must have told you I figured it out.” She sighed. “After I asked her to keep quiet…Kanji, it’s fine that you want to surprise me, but playing around like this isn’t fair.”

Leaning back against the wall, Kanji held a hand to his temple in exasperation. “Naoto, seriously, I got no idea what you’re talkin’ about.”

Naoto gave a small huff. “Are you going to propose to me, or aren’t you?”

Kanji looked, for a moment, like he didn’t understand the question. Then his expression began to shift back and forth rapidly between shock and confusion, mouth opening and closing wordlessly. Finally, he settled on flabbergasted and managed, “I – am I –? I wasn’t…I mean, I want – but I didn’t…p-plan on it…tonight…?”

The way he reacted, it didn’t seem as if he was feigning ignorance to cover up his plans. As he floundered, Naoto began to consider for the first time since lunch that maybe her deduction had been off. “But –” Still, she wasn’t going to let this go without getting to the bottom of things. “Earlier, you were muttering to yourself and you kept touching your pockets – were you not…rehearsing?”

Still flustered, Kanji’s eyes unfocused for a moment as he thought. “Earlier? What, you mean when you came back to get your lunch? That was just – I couldn’t find the keys to the shop. I was trying to remember the last place I had ‘em, and I thought maybe they fell outta my pocket or somethin’.”

“Oh.” Naoto felt her cheeks begin to go red. Her case was beginning to look more ridiculous by the moment. “What about – Chie-san said she saw you at a jewelry store in Okina, and that – that you acted strangely when she greeted you…”

Kanji shrugged, looking down. “I was just checkin’ the place out, and I got kinda embarrassed…force’a habit, y’know, gettin’ defensive when someone catches me lookin’ at cutesy shit…” Pausing to think, he added, “That was just some cheapo chain store from Harajuku, though. They wouldn’t have had engagement rings anyway.”

“I – I see,” Naoto muttered, gaze fixed firmly on the wall. “So I…misinterpreted the facts. Um. In – in that case, I…apologize…for ruining a perfectly good evening with my wild assumptions.” _Well,_ she thought. _This is…mortifying_.

After a short, awkward pause, Kanji cleared his throat. “If you thought I was…um. Would you – w-were you gonna say yes?”

Naoto’s heart skipped a beat, and she made herself meet Kanji’s eyes. “I –” For some reason, answering his question felt nerve-wracking. Still, when she spoke, it was with absolute conviction and honesty. “Yes. I was.”

A grin bloomed on Kanji’s face, erasing all traces of embarrassment, and tears began to fill his eyes. “Really?”

“Really,” Naoto confirmed with a small, bashful smile, both touched and amused by this reaction.

Before she could point out that he hadn’t _actually_ proposed anything yet, Kanji had closed the distance between them and scooped her up into a giant hug. “Well, then why wait?” he declared joyously.

“What?” Naoto squeaked. “Right – right _now_?”

“If you woulda said yes, what’s the point in puttin’ it off?” He set her down, expression suddenly serious. “I don’t have a ring or anything though. So I guess that’s gotta wait for now at least. Maybe we can go shopping this weekend. Or – or do you still want me to try to surprise you?”

Just relieved he wasn’t about to try to elope on the spot – not that she necessarily would have shot the idea down, but it was getting late and who would marry them at this hour? – Naoto began to laugh. “I – whatever you want to do. Whatever will make you happy.” She leaned her forehead against his chest, partly out of affection and partly because she couldn’t stop giggling. “That’s all I want.”

With a chuckle of his own, Kanji wrapped his arms around her. “What’s so funny?”

“Us,” Naoto replied, looking up at him with a smile and a few tears of her own. “I misinterpreted two completely innocuous actions as a proposal you weren’t actually planning, and somehow – apparently – we managed to get engaged anyway.”

“Yeah, well, sounds par for the course for us. I’m the one who thought being interrogated meant you were asking me out.”

“I wasn’t _interrogating_ you,” Naoto insisted. “Just…trying to get information on a serial killer. From a potential suspect. Through routine questioning.”

Kanji smirked. “Uh-huh. In my defense, ‘I’m interested in you’ was a funny way of saying that.”

“Well, I was!” Snaking her arms around his waist, Naoto stood up on her tiptoes. “And I haven’t lost interest since.”

After meeting her in the middle with a kiss, Kanji scooped Naoto up bridal-style. “Betcha still think I’m weird, too.”

Naoto shrugged coyly. “I’m marrying you, aren’t I?”

His expression changed to one of awe, as if he was just realizing this for the first time. “You are,” he breathed before passionately kissing his fiancée again. With that, Kanji carried her over the threshold into the bedroom, all tiredness forgotten in the evening’s excitement.

When asked later who popped the question and how, all the newly-engaged couple could do was laugh and say it was simply a misunderstanding.


	7. Faux Pas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naoto is used to making a few sacrifices for her work, and Kanji is used to helping her, but neither of them are exactly prepared for her newest assignment.

“Ring?”   
  
“Check.”   
  
“Makeup and hair products?”   
  
“Check.”   
  
“Ability to suppress your laughter?”   
  
“After that fuckin’ conversation with Kurogami-san? Double check.”   
  
Naoto slipped her pale yellow cardigan on. “Then we’re ready.”   
  
Usually, Naoto saying she needed help with a case was a sign that something weird was about to happen. While it certainly was the case this time, (ha, Kanji chuckled over the unintentional pun,) this was still slightly better than getting everyone to pretend she was a horrible person in order to entrap a group of criminals, or throwing a basketball-sized container of iodine and vitamin C back and forth, or eating a meal laced with MSG and then another meal laced with something actually toxic he’d forgotten the name of, or-   
  
“Is something the matter?” Naoto said. “You seem a bit dazed.”   
  
“Nah,” he said, adjusting his horrible tie. “Just lost in thought.”   
  
“Another bad customer?”   
  
“It’s nothin’. Let’s go.” He grabbed his jacket and threw it over his shoulders, checking his pockets to make sure he had everything, and opened the door. Kanji never knew much when it came to these things, but he did know that the criminal had been using that weird Metaverse thing to kill people having happy moments in public. Naoto was hoping to fake one of those happy moments to trick the criminal into moving to their location. Persona users were not able to be killed using the Metaverse, so this plan posed no risk to them, but Kanji was still nervous about it. Then again, anything was better than baiting a serial killer into kidnapping you to prove a point.   
  
The plan was actually one of Naoto’s old friends’ idea. Some asshole named Sousei had proposed (ha, Kanji chuckled again,) a fake engagement and Naoto volunteered herself as one of the lucky partners. Apparently, nobody else was too keen on the idea of proposing to her. Either that or the idea of Naoto’s boyfriend fake-proposing to her in public was too funny to pass up. Naoto figured the former. Naoto could also be dumb as a fucking stump in certain circumstances, so Kanji was fine with the latter conclusion.   
  
Even so, he couldn’t help but think about the implications of him proposing to Naoto, his girlfriend of however many years, in public. Sure, they’d be disguised with makeup, uncomfortable outfits, and a wig in her case, but it was still confusing him. Part of him rationalised that he wasn’t actually proposing to her, but another part of him couldn’t help but wonder why that would be a bad thing. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to propose to her, but the more he thought about that, the more confused he got about the whole thing. His mind kept throwing the idea back and forth and back and forth and around and around, constantly repeating itself. His mind kept throwing the idea back and forth and back and forth and around and around, constantly repeating itself. His mind kept throwing the idea back and forth and back and forth and around and around, constantly repeating itself. Before he knew it, Naoto had led him into the park. Showtime.   
  
Naoto took a sip of her bottled water. “So, Kanji,” she began, gesturing towards a small clearing in the trees, “we are going to stand about fifteen metres from where we are now, and I am going to very publicly ask you what you brought me here for.”   
  
“Okay.”   
  
“You then say you have to ask me something, and I ask you what it is.”   
  
“Yup.”   
  
“Then you pop the question and we freak out and celebrate until I get the text from Mitsuru-san. It’s as easy as that”   
  
“Gotcha. I just have one question.”   
  
“That being?”   
  
“What’s with all the officers?”   
  
After giving him that confused look for a few seconds while her mind buffered, Naoto suddenly jumped up and said, “Oh, those officers! They’re here in case the culprits leave the Metaverse in an attempt to escape so that they’re easy to apprehend. They’ll also protect the civilians if a fight breaks out. We’ve determined the odds of that occurring to be unlikely, but it is an important precaution.” Sneering at her polka-dotted high-heeled boots, she disgustedly fiddled with the fake curls of her wig. “Let’s make this quick. I can’t wait to get all this unnecessary garbage off.”   
  
Kanji adjusted the collar of his incredibly uncomfortable shirt that looked like it was a rental from a store that only sold clothing to marijuana-addicted accountants. “I’m with you on that one,” he said, “let’s lock these guys up quick.”   
  
“Quickly,” she said, rising from her seat and adjusting the gaudy blue dress she was wearing, “adverb.”   
  
“Thanks, bug,” he said as he cringed. “Ya look terrible.”   
  
“Thanks, bun. You look dreadful as well.” They walked to the designated location, trying desperately to hide their extreme discomfort. Kanji shuffled his feet back and forth, waiting for someone to start staring at them on account of their awful fashion choices. A teal suit with a bright purple tie and a tie-dye shirt? _Outrageous._ “I still don’t understand why we need to wear all this,” she spat, “surely a more visually pleasing outfit would suffice. Then again, I suppose I wasn’t the one to concoct this plan, so what do I know?”   
  
“More than whoever designed these damn outfits, that’s for sure.”   
  
“Oh please,” she said, “you flatter me. Shall we begin?”   
  
“Let’s go.” A few beats of silence took hold of the situation as Kanji took three deep breaths, each time observing the rise and fall of his chest.   
  
“Hey, daddy,” Naoto said in a false, high-pitched, sugary tone, “Why did you bring me all the way out to the park for a date?” She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Usually we just go to the gym.” The gym? Really? Was that the best she could come up with? Running with it would be funny, but why was that the first thing that came to mind?   
  
“Well, I’ve got to ask you something, baby.” He tried to force his face into a vaguely happy expression.   
  
“What are you gonna ask me that you had to bring me all the way out here for?”   
  
Kanji went into the pockets of his coat and rummaged around for the little box with the ring in it. “Uh,” he tried to think of a name, “Biinasu,”  _ fucking perfect, Kanji, _ “I’ve loved you more for this past week than anyone else in my life besides my ex-girlfriend.” By this point, pretty much everyone at the park was making a face at them, including the officers who knew they were just bullshitting it. “You’ve been with me through thick and thin, even after I cheated on you with those five people at a party. I can’t imagine spending the rest of my short, party animal life with anyone else.” Naoto briefly formed two fists before leaning in a way that may have been slightly attractive if she wasn't dressed like Earring Magic Ken had incredibly uncomfortable intercourse with a Bratz doll. Nevertheless, he pulled the ring pop out of his pocket and got down on one knee. “Baby, will you marry me?”   
  
Saying that to Naoto of all people was almost funny, especially when he watched the pain flicker over her eyes for just a moment. It stopped being funny once she got her act together and said, “of course I’ll marry you, Makksu!” Right that moment, he knew they both craved the sweet release of death, but he had to set that aside and slide the ring pop onto her finger because he honestly couldn’t have been bothered to get a quality product. Everyone was still staring really uncomfortably, but they started to clap out of social obligation. Naoto wrapped her arms around him and smirked. Kanji was legitimately torn between doing the in-character thing and starting to make out immediately or doing the sensible thing and just kissing her and holding her for a while. After much internal debate, he went for the former.   
  
Holding Naoto that close for that long was making him a bit uncomfortable, to say the least, but her more severe social anxieties were clearly starting to kick in. Unfortunately, neither of them could leave until they got the go-ahead. Their time holding each other tightly while muttering whatever vaguely kinky and irresponsible shit they could think of was just going on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on until finally, _finally_ , there was a loud crash a few metres away. A very loud crash. When the two turned to look, a team of persona users had all formed a dogpile to restrain a man they could only assume had been behind the murders. Everyone turned to look at the human pile of collapsed Jenga blocks. Awkward.   
  
“Can we go now?” Kanji said, running a hand through his overly-gelled hair. “This shirt is starting to get really uncomfortable.”    
  
Naoto suddenly ripped the wig off her head and shoved the ring pop into her bag. “You know what? I don’t give a shit anymore. We’re leaving.”   
  
Looking back on it after the longest bath Kanji had ever taken, it was somehow still better than the criminal trapping schemes he was usually involved with, albeit worse than the time they tried police roleplay. At least they got to stop that halfway through when they didn’t enjoy it. For all those jokes about handcuffs, the two knew by now that they weren't exactly the kinkiest couple. Proposing to Naoto still seemed like a good idea, though, even if he wanted to recover from that whole ordeal first. It wasn’t exactly clear how to go about proposing to someone like her.   
  
He knew not to use a ring pop in the real deal, though, even if she’d been eating it for three hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean, as much as I have a ton of other stuff to work on, I just couldn't resist the opportunity to write once this little plot bunny popped into my head. Have fun reading the worst engagement scene my stressed-out brain could muster.


	8. Seven: Through Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you have to say things in your dreams first. Think of it as a practice run.

Someone had pushed a paper cup of coffee in front of him two hours ago while he waited in this damned windowless room. Of course, Kanji hadn’t touched it. Vile stuff. The only two things about it were the smell when you opened the bag, and the smell when the coffee was still hot in its cup.

Now, since it was stone-cold, he was sure it just smelled bitter. Lonely.

Then again, he associated coffee with the last time Naoto had been in town, four years ago, when they graduated. She had bought a can from the vending machine at the train station and just held it to arm her hands. Wasn’t that cold out, just a bit breezy and raining. Just before the train arrived, she had opened it and drank some.

She forgot the can in her rush to jump into the train after hugging everyone.

He had taken it home, pondered drinking from it.

Decided that was too damn creepy though.

The can was emptied into the sink and washed out, then put on his desk in his room.

The burglar had stepped on it while digging through his shit.

Kanji was kinda glad he and his Ma had been out at the shopping street association meeting. If that asshole had walked in on his Ma, he could have hurt her. When Kanji and his mom came home early last night, because his Ma was feeling under the weather, they found their door broken open. The young man had roared and rushed in, found the guy trying to make a quick exit through the living room window and they chased all the way down to Aiya before Kanji managed to grab the dude and deck him.

And that could have been the end of it. If he had just done that.

 _Apparently_ , the detectives were still keeping him to sort out if he had fucking _ASSUTLED_ the guy. The damn nerve! Anyone breaking into his home and frightening Ma was bound to get whooped, damnit. That’s just normal!

He growled and tried to crack his knuckles, only to flinch and stop before he put too much pressure on his hands. Okay, so it had been a while since he punched anything without boxing gloves in a gym.

Sighing, Kanji leaned forward to rest his elbows back on the table before him. The interrogation room was getting stuffy. _No air conditioning in here, huh?_

**_Not for criminals._ **

_‘Oh, heya, big boy. Long time no talk.’_

**_Miss him._ **

The young Tatsumi blinked, his focus-less eyes focusing on his hands for a moment. Tsking at the bruises he had given himself decking that robber, he let his eyes shift out of focus again and he turned his gaze inward. _‘Who? Yu-senpai?’_

**_No. Yamato._ **

With a groan, the black-haired man rubbed his face, his tired, dry eyes itching at the thought of his friend. His crush, really.

_‘Now’s not a good time, big guy…’_

**_Miss him._ **

_‘….yeah. I miss her, too.’_

**_I know._ **

Still rubbing his eyes, Kanji grumbled without a single clear thought. At the mention of Naoto Shirogane’s tiny Persona; his anger about the situation, his upset at the guy who had broken in, even his worry for his Ma, who was taken to the hospital for a checkup after all the stress of the night, just went up in smoke.

Naoto.

He never had told her. That damned crush. All these years they were in school together and he never fessed up, no matter how much Yukiko and Rise had teased him.

Mainly, he thought, because he was a friggin’ coward. He had slipped her some love letters and cute notes into her shoe locker. A few plushies and things, too. A tiny crochet version of all three versions of her Persona’s evolution, or whatever they heck those were called. A keyring of an even tinier version of Sukuna-Hikona as a phone charm.

But he never actually told her.

Rise and Yukiko had stayed friends over the years, and he still got to see Chie and Yosuke around, too. And whole his friends he tried to take him to social gatherings and introduced him to other people, nothing ever took Naoto’s place.

**_Hope he comes soon._ **

Fat chance. Naoto was a real bigshot now. Something weird went down in the big city and they had brought her in. The news made it sound as if her student, or kohai or… what did they say over and over? _Protégé,_ yeah, had gone missing when that arrogant looking high schooler went missing. Who the hell even _is_ that Guru Amachi? He had never heard of him.

The only nice thing about it all was… she was in the news and sometimes gave interviews. When she looked right at the camera, he felt like she was talking to him. Sometimes that made him dizzy. He was hearing her voice, but not her words.

….lovesick idiot.

The door opened and a tired-looking Chie walked in. She took off her cap, tossed it on the table and slumped down before him. “Wow. I’m beat.” She yawned and stretched, then gave him a wry smirk. “I’ve nothing official to talk about, but I wanted to check in on you. Dojima was called in. Guess the guy was more important than we thought at first and he is calling some people right now.” She glanced at his coffee and made a face. “Ugh. I hope you didn’t drink that. I swear they burn that stuff on purpose.”

“I dun’ like coffee.” He leaned back and sighed. “Look, _senpai_ , I’m sorry if I fucked up.” He glanced to one side before he went on. “Can you tell me how Ma is doin’? Please?”

“Hey, Kanji-kun. Look at me.” He looked forward and she pointed at her short hair. “No hat. I’m not here to read out the law to you.”

“Kay.”

“Okay. Now, your Mom is good. Not great, but well enough. They will keep her a few days, make sure she is fit, and then send her home. And you, well, I am sure you’ll be staying the night, mainly before they are combing through your home right now. They found a few things that have them worried.”

“ _Found_ stuff? Wasn’t it a robber?”

“Well…” She trailed off and dug for her phone in her pocket. “They found a few of these things.” She pushed her phone to him, showing a picture.

He picked up the small smartphone and enlarged the photo. “The heck is that?”

“Well, that’s the thing. It looks like something connected to a case that recently made waves in Tokyo. These black-and-red cards were all over in a number of blackmail cases. Thing is, this one seems fully out of place. We don’t know why it would show up here in Inaba.”

“Beats me, man. But when I walked in, I know he was carrying shit out of the house. I grabbed the bag and brought it back inside.”

“Yeah. It’s all super-weird.” Chie sighed and grabbed her hat. Putting it on, she nodded to the cot along the wall. “Get some rest. We’ll check in on you later.”

“Sure, _senpai_.” She turned to leave, and he called out, “Uh, hey, _senpai_?”

“Yeah?” She stopped and looked at him expectantly.

“Like… thanks for stopping by, man. And tellin’ me about Ma. That was cool of ya.”

She grinned and gave him a wink that looked way too much like the ones Yosuke still gave him at times. “Just making sure you don’t get bored and tear up the room. Later, Kanji-kun.”

He grinned. “Whatever. Later, Chie- _senpai_.”

As she left, his smile faded and he got up to stretch out. The cot looked way too short, but he still went to lay down, curling up on the side  little bit. Some Zs wouldn’t be bad. Especially if they sent him Dojima again.

  

* * *

 

 

Takeji Zaiten stood beside Kanji in the grassy plains of the TV world. His enormous sword was thrust into the ground beside him, his arms crossed.

“What’s the occasion, big guy?”

“ **He is coming. Can feel him.** ”

The young man ruffled his hair and looked puzzled. “Who? Ted?”

“ **Yamato Sumeragi**.”

“That’s- … why would he be here?”

His Persona nodded. “ **She is coming**.”

Kanji rolled his eyes. “Dude. You’re not making sense.”

A new voice spoke up behind them. “Dreams rarely do make sense.”

He whirled around and gaped at the young woman before him. She was still short, of course, but her hair still looked weird like this. Open and long. She smiled at him, her arms behind her straight back. “Hello, Kanji-kun.”

“Shit! Naoto!” He laughed and rushed at her, picking her up in a tight hug. After a startled squeak, she, too, laughed and they hugged.

He set her down, grinning. Dreams are awesome.

They turned to see their Personae reunite as well, first with a mock battle, then with a high-five.

“Guess they have not seen one another in some time, either,” Naoto said. She looked at their hands, still linked after the hug, and coughed gently. “Ah… Kanji-kun… my hand?”

“Oh! Damn, sorry. It….” He let go and laughed embarrassed. “It’s just so damn good to see ya!”

“Yes. It has been some time. Naturally I should have expected this could happen. That I dream of you, seeing I am returning to Inaba for your sake.”

“My…?” Her last words caught his attention.

“The break-in. Dojima-san called me and said that some material was recovered that made him worry. I am coming to inspect what was found in person. Although I am also quite certain this is only a copycat, trying to ride the coat tails of another crime, as it were.”

Kanji barely listened, just looking at her. Naoto was, just as she had been, too damn perfect. Short hair, long hair, it did not matter, really. She looked stunning.

“I should have told ya.”

“Pardon?” She blinked in confusion. “Were you aware of anyone breaking negative feelings towards you or your mother?”

“No! No, not that. More, like…” He fidgeted, feeling the stare of their Personae on him.

“Oh…” He lifted his head just enough to look at Naoto. A somewhat embarrassed Naoto. “I-I see. Well, as it were,” she trailed off and cleared her throat, “You see, you… had. Told me, that is.”

His face fell and the young man gave her a very confused look. “I did? When?”

“Hrm, let me see.” She proceeded to cradle her elbow in one hand, while the other covered her mouth in thought. “I believe, if I recall correctly, the first time was on the 28th of December, 2011. I was fairly certain that was your confession, as it were, that day. I have kept it, I can check the day in the folder.”

“Folder?” he whimpered weakly.

“Then a letter and chocolates on Monday, the 14th of February, 2012. I had nearly handed them away, along with the others, but noticed the same handwriting. Clean, precise, but not embellished by hearts and flowers and such nonsense. Then there was a hand-made set of knitted Personae dolls on Wednesday, the 14th of March-“

“Crochet. Not knitting,” he mumbled.

The young woman simply smiled. “Need I continue?”

“Damn good memory,” he muttered. If this was his dream, then he was amazed that he recalled it all so clearly.

“At times, when we were by ourselves, it felt as if there was an unspoken understanding already.” She hesitated, then took his hand. “You did tell me. That nothing more came of it was my fault, Kanji-kun. You told me. I knew. I should have taken the next steps after that.”

“Well. Hah.” He grinned and took her hands. If he was going to wake up and get chewed out by Dojima, he could enjoy at least these next few minutes. Kneeling, he beamed up at her. “So, wanna take that next step? Get married, right here? Got two witnesses even!”

After a first startled reaction, she laughed. “Absurd! But charming.” Not letting go of his hands, she answered his wild grin with a warm smile. “I am not sure the personification of our inner self would be considered a legal witness, Kanji-kun.”

“Aw, you’re no fun!”

They both laughed lightly, and he rose to his feet. Still holding her hands, he said, much gentler, “Seriously, though? I’d marry you on the spot if you said yes. I keep thinkin’ ‘bout you.”

Her smile faded a bit, turning bitter-sweet. “I, too, find myself often thinking of you. Rise-san likes to tease me; tell me you apparently pine for me. A confession from you or a marriage proposal would be of the magnitude she suggested.”

“You know the little key-chain? Of Sukuna?”

She nodded. “I carry it with me everywhere.”

“Heh, well… I snuck a note in it. But you can’t find it easy, like.”

She tilted her head, looking to one side as if she heard someone calling to her.

“You need to unbutton his uniform. There’s an inside pocket. I guess you never tried to open it…”

She shook her head, then looked back at him. “Inside pocket?”

“Yeah. I thought you like that stuff.”

She looked puzzled, then he thought he faintly heard someone announce a train station over bad speakers, and Naoto vanished suddenly.

 

* * *

 

 

The shock made him jump off the cot he had napped on. It was still damn early, and he had no idea why he woke up like that.

**_They come._ **

_‘Yeah, sounds like the station is changin’ shifts or summin.’_ Kanji goaned, feeling his stiff back. He leaned with his back against the cot and closed his eyes again. “They can wake me when they get here, whoever.”

It took him forever to fall back asleep, but Kanji knew he had just dozed off again, when someone knocked. “Tastumi-san?” Dojima’s voice.

“Mrhm? Yeah?” He started to stretch. His ‘Come in” sounded like a howl, thanks to the yawn he couldn’t keep in.

The door opened and Dojima walked in, carrying two large paper cups. Even though he did not close the door behind him, the room filled with the scent of coffee. “The hospital called, and your mother is doing very well today.” He set the cups down as Kanji got up to move to the table. “She was just in a bit of shock after the break-in. They have no concerns releasing her in the coming days.”

“You’re awesome, thanks for letting me know right away, Dojima-san. Uhm. Any word about that assault thing?”

The older man waved off. “That is being handled, don't worry. The specialist I needed to call in said she is arranging to sort that out.”

“Specialist?” Kanji quavered. “S-She?” Oh man. 'They are coming'. Somehow, the big guy had _known_!

“Come now, Tatsumi, you surprise me. You’d be the last person I’d have thought-“

“No, man, no, if your specialist is a lady, that’s totally fine!” He swallowed hard, thinking of his dream. “Will that specialist be talking to me?”

“She’ll be right in, yes. Actually, she asked to handle her own introduction, so I’ll be back later.” He got up and turned around. “Ah, speak of the devil. Detective, I’ll leave Mister Tatsumi to you.”

Kanji’s ears started to rush too loudly to hear Naoto’s reply. He was glad he was already sitting, else, they'd have to pull him off the floor ow. She looked just as she had in his dream earlier.

She walked in, closing the door behind her. Without looking at him, she sat down, opposite him. She pulled from her small briefcase a pen and a keyring, setting both to the table. When she put her case away, a very flushed gaze met his.

Stunned, knowing his cheeks started to feel much warmer, he watched as she pulled forward her keys. The little charm was picked up and she felt over the jacket of her tiny persona. “I should have noticed that it mattered that his jacket was not knitted, but indeed made of felt,” she muttered, popping open the buttons.

She opened the jacket. Both of their eyes were firmly on the tiny folded paper just sticking out of an inside pocket. Naoto exhaled as if she had held her breath for the last half minute. Shaky fingers teased the message out and Naoto very quietly unfolded the paper.

“Y-Yer gonna read it?” Kanji’s voice trembled. “Now? After all this time?”

She simply nodded. Then quietly read the simple question he had scribbled and hidden years ago.

Then lifted her head. “Yes.” She said quietly.

“Yes?”

“That is my answer.” She picked up the pen and drew a clumsy heart into the waiting checkbox. “Yes.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhm. My hands slipped. On my keyboard. A lot.


End file.
